Boredom, Baby Stuff, and Bunco!

Once again, I'm so behind in posting pictures!  The sad part is that it has taken me 3 days to finally get everything uploaded and posted.  I've been pretty tired lately!

We got rained in on Wednesday and we were stuck in the house ALL day!  We were so bored.  It gave me a hint of what's coming for winter.  I'm not looking forward to seeing our warm weather go bye-bye!  I'm always telling Jordan that we need to move to Florida or south Alabama so I can wear flip flops year round.  Ahh....bliss!

Last weekend we went to a park that was ALL sand.  NOT fun.  I hated it, Jack got SO sandy and wet and John Michael was NOT happy with the sand, either!  We won't be going back to that park.  Luckily, Jack got groomed today, so he's nice and cute now!

 

I don't think he liked the sand on his hands and in his feet!

Next, we headed to Chick-fil-A for some FREE chicken!  We wore our Alabama outfits and got a free chicken sandwich.  I love it when Chick-fil-A runs specials like this.  Who doesn't like a free meal?!

I have laughed so hard over this next picture.  The look on JM's face is so random!  He looks so vicious!

AND...our little bear is going to BE a little bear for Halloween!  I am in love with this costume.  It might be my only Halloween left where I can still dress him to be what I want.  I'm sure by next year he'll want to choose something boyish.  The best part was that I got this outfit for around $8!  YAY!  I had been looking and looking at costumes, but they were all so expensive considering he might wear it for an hour or two, so I was so happy when I found this little bear costume!  I can't wait.

In baby news, I got an email reminder that our changing pad had arrived at Wal-Mart through site-to-store.  I forgot we ordered it!  Besides the furniture, it's our first big "new baby" item.  We're still working on clearing out the office.  LIttle by little, it will get done.  After everything is cleared out, we're going to paint!

And just for fun, here's John Michael being just a little naughty and letting Jack lick all over his cup and hands.  It never seems to end with these two.  And yes, I took the cup away right after this!

Also, last night we had our Sunday School Bunco night at Kacy's house!  It was back to school bunco, but I didn't have any of my old high school shirts up here or yearbooks.  They wouldn't have fit me anyway, I don't think!  We have the best Sunday School class.  I have been so blessed to get to know these ladies over the past year or so.  We always have such a good time when we get together!

All the girls..talking, eating, and getting ready to gamble, Baptist-style!

Here's our neighbor, Julie, who is due in December.  In a few months we will have 4 new babies in our neighborhood.  We know 2 are boys, so we're waiting to see what the next 2 will be.  I think it will be SO cool if we all have little boys!

Happy Weekend.  Maybe I can catch up on sleep this weekend and start feeling better so I can get more pictures uploaded for everyone!

Our Little Sprout!

Our little sprout is just growing and growing! 

NO, not this little sprout....

But these little guys!

My dad made us a little garden while he was out here and although the first few didn't make it, we replanted a few tomato plants.  Now those plants are thriving (shock!) and starting to sprout tiny green tomatoes!  We couldn't be more proud of our gardening accomplishment.

Everyday John Michael helps us water the garden and we check out the progress of our little sprouts!  All I keep thinking is how wonderful those green tomatoes are going to look sliced up and battered in my frying pan!  Mmmmmmm!

We also have these little grape tomatoes that are coming right along too!  This is our first year to try and grow anything of our own, so we'll see if it works out and next year we'll plant more.  I would like to have a blueberry bush next year, also.   

I'll leave you with a picture from after the storms the other night.  I just happened to look out the kitchen window and I told Jordan, come look, quick!! Isn't this the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?! Of course the pictures don't do it justice!  The whole sky was hot pink and orange.  Happy Friday, everyone!

Walk This Way

Check out who started taking a few independent steps this weekend!!!

We started working with him a little bit and Jordan let go and he did a few steps and we got SO excited!  Now, picture him cracking up, cackling laughing in all of these pictures.  He thinks it's hilarious!  We let him walk back and forth between us and he went from taking about 3 steps to taking about 10!

I figured he would be walking soon and he's still not steady at all but, at least he's up and at 'em trying to walk!

He is so proud of himself!  He knows that he's doing something cool.  It probably helps that we're freaking out and clapping for him!  In every picture I'm in I've got my arms circled around him so he doesn't fall or hit his head!

And of course Jack had to get in the pictures!

Verse O' the Day:

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6:25, 6:27

Maternity+Swimwear=Terror

Since I'm now into my fourth month of pregnancy, it's just the beginning of June and we have a neighborhood pool, I'm unfortunately facing an icky Summertime dilemma: maternity swimwear.  I took John Michael last week for his first big day of pool swimming and we had a blast except my spf 70 spray didn't quite make it onto my back so I'm burnt like a lobster on just my back.  Attractive.

Now, I do have one leftover swimsuit from the last pregnancy and it's not that bad.  It's actually kinda cute, but here's the problem: In the beginning you're not really showing that much yet and you just look like you ate a ginormous sandwich and the maternity suits are kind of just hanging on you.  My regular swimsuits are just not really cutting it. 

Because we do have the rest of June, July, and August to go swim at our pool I'm going to be dealing with this almost daily.  Sigh.  I'm really not the only one wearing maternity swimwear this summer I know, but I did want to throw something at that lady at the pool the other day who was tanned, incredibly toned, and had cute hair all while wearing her two piece and nursing her 4 week old.  Life is just not fair sometimes!

Happy Weekend, everyone!  Our big trip today will be to Lowe's to pick out lights for our recessed lights and start looking at paint colors for John Michael's big boy bedroom transformation and possibly the baby's room! 

I have been a bad mom and not really taken any pictures this week.  We even went to Jessica and Wayman's for a yummy dinner last night and didn't take any pictures!  I'll leave you with a few pictures from a few Sundays ago.  John Michael is just so cute in these pictures.  Some days I can't believe he's actually mine!  JM is wearing his smocked Summertime Turtle outfit thanks to Grandmother!!

Daddy and John Michael

[caption id="attachment_968" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Such a big boy in his forward-facing carseat!"][/caption]

And, I guess I could include a few more pictures!  This is JM with his new BFF, Mickey Mouse, and that is a Mickey train in the background!

And here's JM on Memorial Day at a local garden center.  It was rainy and we were SOO bored so we just headed there and looked at all the plants and let JM play in the fountains!

Verse O' the Day:

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD.

Psalm 34:1-2

A Book and the Second Trimester

When I find a book I really like, I obsess and read as much as I can (with a baby around) to finish it!  I finished this book in about 3 days.  I had heard a little chatter about it online so I did something I never do, I went to Borders and bought the hardback.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, takes place in 1960s Jackson. Mississippi.  The Civil Rights Movement is underway and really starting to become a nation-wide issue.  The best way to sum it up is: In a place where blacks are given the task of raising white children from birth up but now allowed to touch the family silver or use their bathrooms, three very differnt women will take it upon themselves to explore the complex working relationship between the white employers and the black maids that work for them.

The Help encorporates a few of my favorite things:  Silver patterns, chick-lit, southern writing, the Junior League, a little mystery, and talk of sorority sisters past.  My favorite part of the book was when the main character's (Skeeter) brother brings home a girl from LSU and his mother asks the girl what her family's silver pattern is.  She replies that theirs is Chantilly (just like Mom) but she quickly remarks how Skeeter is so lucky that her family is a Francis I family. She then asks Skeeter if she is going to register for her own silver pattern or get her Mama's when she gets married.  Love it.

It's just an interesting book and there wasn't a lot of cussing or anything bad like that.  It really explores race relations in the Deep South in the '60s.  I enjoyed it and it made me think of all the stories my mom told me about their maid and her friend's maids growing up in Tuscaloosa in the 60s.  I am happy to recommend it and I hope you like it too.

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Moving on, we had our 4 month OB check-up today and everything checked out great!  Unlike last time, everytime I go now I don't really have any questions.  The heart rate was 164 and it was 160 last time, just like John Michael!  It's so crazy to think that we are now officially in the second trimester. 

Our next appointment will be in July and we have to decide whether or not to find out the sex at our ultrasound.  Jordan talked me into finding out last time so we're thinking about not finding out this time.  Something to think about...

One last thing, I forgot to post the picture of how we told our family about baby #2.  It's funny because not a soul noticed his little t-shirt.  Here we are after we told them!

Verse O' the Day:

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

What did YOU do this weekend?!

This weekend was so full and busy that I decided to make another slideshow instead of uploading tons of pictures!  The weather was great and we knew we had to get out and about.

Friday John Michael and I headed out to the park for lunch and played and played.  Afterwards, we went shopping and did way too much walking.  My hope was that he would just fall asleep in the stroller for afternoon nap but it took forever and I almost gave up.  He eventually went to sleep and I went to Borders to buy a book-more on that later!

Saturday we got up and went to the Farmer's Market downtown.  Jackson loved it because he got so many pets from people and John Michael loved it because there were bubbles in the downtown fountain!

Saturday afternoon we headed to Oklahoma to a State Park to check out a neat water fall.  I first saw it on Jessica's blog and since it's close by I knew we had to go sometime.  Click here to check it out!  We didn't have enough time to hike down to the bottom but maybe we'll go again and get to the bottom.  It was really pretty and I think parts of Where the Red Fern Grows was taped there.

Saturday night we headed back from Oklahoma and cooked, showered and got ready for our Sunday School's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner".  We had a great time at Laurie's and John Michael did well even though he was tired from the day!  I cooked Blueberry Crisp and took a spicy dip with chips.  We have a great Sunday School class and anytime we can fellowship is fun!

Sunday we went to church and then blew up John Michael's new pool.  He loves water so much and even though it was like ice he insisted upon getting in.  We let him.  It was cold!  He had a great time in it and flung the water hose all around.  Check out our slideshow for all the pics from the weekend!

John Michael's Nursery

 

Welcome to John Michael's nursery...although at the ripe old age of one (AND with baby #2 on the way!)  he will be needing to upgrade pretty soon.  It's still pretty "little-babyish" but I'm already conjuring up ideas for a big boy bedroom.  I'm hoping to get some great ideas from this blog tour of nurseries!

We hope you enjoy his room!  Come on in!  We decided to do sage green, white, and cream.  His bedding is cream and sage green toille.

Here's the changing table with JM's initials that I painted and just a simple cross.

Lots of books and the CD player and sound machine!

This is our reading/nursing/rocking center!  I love my Best chair!  I have an ultrasound picture, baby Bible, and silver spoons and a cup on these tiny shelves.

This is the section of the room that I wished fit inside the closet, but it doesn't.  I would love not to see these toys everyday but I do like this storage unit!

John Michael's crib that I love so!  I like the dark color!  Above the crib is says: We took one look at you and our hearts stood still.  What a true statement!  Can you tell we're fans of crib mobiles?!

Just JM's dresser with my very old lamp, an Alabama plate, and a painting that I attempted to do of his name!  And unlike Kelly, I am NOT showing you his closet!  No way.

And what little boy's room would be complete without Big Al, I mean Lil' Al!  He resides right beside JM's bed!  Roll Tide!

This room belongs to this precious boy!  We hope you enjoyed!

Play-Day-Thursday!

We hosted playgroup at our house today, and let me tell you, we had the best time!  We celebrated John Michael's birthday again, of course, and everything was great! I used some leftover decorations and got some balloons.  The kids played so well (we DO have enough toys for a daycare you know) and all the food turned out fantastic and yummy, if I do say so myself!

We have the best Sunday School class and everyone's kids are just so cute.  I'm going to miss playgroup this summer, but I know it'll be back in the fall! 

Here's the let's-celebrate-my-birthday-for-a-month birthday boy!

Braxton playing on the couch

Baby Caleb is so darn cute

Kelly and Harper in their matching outfits...I'm kinda jealous I don't have a girl!

Ginger's newest addition, Baby Kade.  He is so tiny and precious. Today was his first day at playgroup!

Just the kiddos playing!

Now for the food.  I could NOT decide what to make so I decided to make a ginormous salad with chicken chopped up in it and then all kinds of little toppings and dressings for the salad.  I thought it was good and it was fun to choose different toppings.

I totally stole this idea of putting some cute fabric on the stovetop from Kelly.  It makes so much sense and it's a great way to serve food! 

Now, for the the kiddos we had chicken nuggets, different fruits, fruit juice, and cupcakes!

AND for dessert......

Dirt Cake!  I decided to do it in a trifle bowl instead of a cute flower pot.  It is SO good and it's fun and easy to make.  Yum.  I forgot to get a picture so this one was from Kelly's blog.  We're so glad that there are leftovers!  A few people asked about it, so here's the recipe!

Dirt Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

3 1/2 cups milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling

1. Chop cookies very fine in food processor. The white cream will disappear.


2. Mix butter, cream cheese, and sugar in bowl.


3. In a large bowl mix milk, pudding and whipped topping together.


4. Combine pudding mixture and cream mixture together.


5. Layer in flower pot, starting with cookies then cream mixture. Repeat layers.


6. Chill until ready to serve.


7. Add artificial flower and trowel. Enjoy!